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HP EliteBook 1030 G1 Review: The perfect business notebooks provide the manageability IT professionals need, the sturdiness buyers desire, and the experience users require. Beginning at $1,249 (examined at $1,505), the thin, light-weight and classy HP EliteBook 1030 G1 makes working enjoyable with its long-lasting battery, stable keyboard, and zippy performance. Whereas its display needs to be brighter, the laptop has a lot going for it that execs everywhere should think about it as their next co-passenger in first class.

HP EliteBook 1030 G1 – Design

Some business laptops have all of the sex appeals of an egg salad sandwich. However, the current silver HP EliteBook 1030 G1 is fit to flaunt. Reminiscent of a MacBook Pro, the 1030’s machined aluminum deck and lid feel and look fantastic.

Opening the notebook, you will find small touches like its thin bezel and the polished beveled edge that wraps around its deck, really helped outline the look. I also admire its smooth rubbery underside, which feels nicer than the hard plastic you usually find.

In contrast to the 12-inch MacBook or 12.5-inch EliteBook Folio, the EliteBook 1030 packs a full set of slots and ports. On the left side of the EliteBook 1030, you will find security lock, USB 3.0 port, HDMI port, and data-only USB Type-C port. The power port, second USB 3.0 port, headphone jack,and docking connector are located on the right side. Also, a fingerprint reader is situated to the right of the keyboard.

HP EliteBook 1030 G1 – Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard and Touchpad on the HP EliteBook 1030 G1 allow smooth typing and browsing. After examining the keyboard on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I was able to beat my personal best score of 80 words per minute. Its keys are responsive enough to compensate for the 1.4 millimeters of the key journey and 58 grams of actuation weight.

HP EliteBook 1030 G1 – Display

The HP EliteBook 1030 G1 comes with a 13.3-inch display that provides great color and detail, but it could be brighter than it is. When I watched a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailers on the 1920 x 1080-pixel panel, I was struck by the rich green of the trees in a forest. The screen even picked up crisp details, such as the wisps of Star Lord’s hair and the marbled bark of Child Groot’s physique.

The display on the EliteBook’s panel registered 116 % of the sRGB spectrum according to our colorimeter. This edges out the Dell Latitude 7370 (107 %), the Apple MacBook (107 %), the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (104 %) and the ultraportable average of 98 %).

When I first opened the EliteBook 1030, I held down the increase brightness button, to little avail. Its display can emit as much as 239 nits of brightness, which is less than the Dell Latitude 7370 (395 nits), the MacBook (327 nits), the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (292 nits) and the average for ultraportables (302 nits). Still, it provides excellent viewing angles, so you’ll be able to share the screen with people onto your left or right.

The Bang & Olufsen-tuned speaker on the top of the EliteBook’s keyboard deck produces enough volume to fill a giant conference room with high-quality sound. In my testing, it was perfect for audio podcasts and emitted a stable version of The Weeknd’s “Six Feet Under” with clear vocals, loud bass, and accurate synthesizers.

HP EliteBook 1030 G1 – Hardware and Performance

Being powered by a 1.1-GHz Core m5-6Y57 CPU and 8GB of RAM, our review configuration of the HP EliteBook 1030 G1 can deal with a fair amount of multitasking. I noticed no lag when I split the screen and switched between a dozen tabs along with a 1080p YouTube video running in the background. The smooth sailing continued after I added a full-system scan from Windows Defender and started snapping pictures in the Camera app.

The 256GB SSD in the EliteBook 1030 is speedy and duplicated 4.97GB of information in 35 seconds, with a transfer rate of 145.4MBps. It’s a slight step behind the competitors. The pair of 256GB SSDs in the Dell Latitude 7370 (173.38 MBps), the Apple MacBook (355.9 MBps), the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (419 MBps) registered faster rates.

The EliteBook 1030 completed OpenOffice Spreadsheet Macro test by matching 20,000 names to addresses in just 4 minutes and 32 seconds, a time that easily beats the Dell Latitude 7370 (6:56) and the ultraportable average (6:32). However, the Apple MacBook (3:11) and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 (4:14) took less time.

HP EliteBook 1030 G1 – Battery Life and Heat

Whenever you pack the EliteBook 1030, you can probably leave your charger at home. The HP business notebook made it 9 hours and 23 minutes on our Battery Test that includes regular Wi-Fi browsing at 100 nits of brightness. This result easily beats the Dell Lattitude 7370 (7:53), the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (9:06) and the ultraportable average (8:02). Only the 12-inch Apple MacBook lasted barely longer with a time of 9:38.

The HP EliteBook 1030 G1 stays cool under pressure. After we had streamed 15 minutes of Full-HD video on YouTube, the touchpad on the laptop registered a cool 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The area between G and H keys were at 84 degrees, while the underside of the laptop registered 87 degrees which are under our 95-degree consolation threshold.

HP EliteBook 1030 G1 – Configuration Options

HP sells the EliteBook 1030 in a variety of configurations, beginning with the $1,249, an entry-level mannequin that features a Core m5-6Y54 processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, and a Full-HD 1080p non-touch display.

Our review configuration will cost you $1,505 and includes a Core m5-6Y57 CPU, 8GB RAM, a 256GB SSD and a Full-HD 1080p non-touch display. For even more power, you possibly can go for a Core m7-6Y75 CPU that will cost you around $1,867. If you want higher resolution display, you’ll be able to upgrade to a QHD+ (3200 x 1800) touch screen for $186, however, don’t expect as much battery life with that model.

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Conclusion

The HP EliteBook 1030 G1 is an incredible business notebook with the power and keyboard you will want for a productive workday, in addition to the sound and picture quality you will need for relaxing later. However, its screen isn’t as bright as we’d like and the SSD can’t match the speeds of its opponents.

If you need a system with a gorgeous screen and better performance, try the $1,119 ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The $1,299 MacBook provides an even lighter chassis and better screen, however, lacks the business-friendly features and deep keyboard of the EliteBook. However, if you need a lightweight business system with strong battery life, strong performance and loads of style, the HP EliteBook 1030 G1 is a great alternative.